Happenings and Foodstuffs at the Patch

We had the privilege of seeing 17 different films at this year’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival – the largest environmental film festival in the US – which just happens to take place in OUR little foothill community. Grateful. Aware. Inspired…just a few words that come to mind reflecting on this incredible weekend full of film and activism.

While our focus was viewing movies about our food system (see previous blog post), we managed to catch several beautifully shot environmental films that left us speechless about the overwhelmingly destructive state of our modern world like The Age of Consequences, To the Ends of the Earth, and Fractured Land. Yet, through all of the heavy topics, we managed to see the light through the crack in the wall, and left with a renewed sense of purpose to live harmoniously on this earth.

Thanks to everyone at SYRCL and WSFF for an amazing adventure! Here are three short films we saw at WSFF, available to watch for free:

Great news, folks. BriarPatch Deli just added one of the area’s best chefs to our roster of outstanding culinary professionals. If you’re a fan of the farm-to-table movement and it’s focus on farm fresh, local ingredients, you better keep your eyes (and nose) tuned into our Deli.

James Herzig has deep roots in our local foodie community. He was one of the first full time employees of Earth Circles Organics in Auburn, a wholesale importer and distributor of raw and organic superfoods. Later he was Executive Chef at the award winning Wise Villa Winery in Lincloln and then moved to Nectar Cafe in Auburn, where he won multiple Sacramento vegan chef challenge awards as Chef and Restaruant Manager.

Throughout James’s time as Chef at Wise Villa and Nectar Cafe he had a strong focus on fresh, farm-to-table menus and worked with many local and regional farms. He’s excited to bring these passions to BriarPatch and help further the Deli’s use of local ingredients in the Hot Bar, Grab & Go Items, and Deli case.

His first three dishes – pictured below and available now at BriarPatch Deli – are just a glimpse of what’s in store for our taste buds. Welcome, James! We look forward to trying your food!

1. Grapefruit is a natural pick-me-up for your senses due to its refreshing scent.

2. It wasn’t always a popular fruit. Grapefruit was first bred in the 18th century in Barbados and introduced to Florida in the 1820s as a novelty.

3. In 1962, there was an effort by Florida marketers to change the name of the grapefruit to something more enticing, but the public resisted.

4. Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, potassium, folate and vitamin B5. Because they contain more of the red-pigment antioxidant lycopene, pink and red grapefruit varieties are more nutritious than the white.

5. Humidity contributes to a thinner peel and juicier fruit. Grapefruit from more arid climates have a thicker, rougher peel and lower juice content.

6. For maximum flavor and juiciness, leave the fruit at room temperature for a couple of hours before eating.

7. The name grapefruit is a reference to the way the fruit hangs while growing, in clusters like grapes.

8. In 1962, there was an effort by Florida marketers to change the name of the grapefruit to something more enticing, but the public resisted.

Note: If you’re taking prescription drugs, talk with your health care practitioner about eating grapefruit, which interacts with some pharmaceuticals, making their effects stronger and potentially harmful.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

By now you’ve probably heard the term “atmospheric river” referring to January’s record breaking storms. Meteorologists describe this phenomenon as a river 1,000 miles long and over 100 miles wide – the size of the Amazon River – flowing high overhead and dumping massive amounts of water on California. Great news for the drought, but not so great for farmers trying to harvest and plan for next season.

We checked in with Susan Simitz of Earl’s Organic Produce to get a national distributor’s perspective on how the farmers are keeping California – and the entire United States – fed during weather like this (via earlsorganics.com):

“Heavy rain in California (during the atmospheric river storm) completely shut down all [northern California] growing regions, tightening the supply of many fruits and vegetables. The rain not only makes it difficult for workers and tractors to get out on the muddy ground to harvest, but it can delay the planting of the next crop. We could see a shortage of some items down the road when they would have been ready to harvest.

The most recent storm has halted most of the citrus harvesting in the three main growing regions except for in small sporadic amounts. There may be some small pockets that are dry enough to pick and pack but for the most part we don’t expect volume to be back to normal until the end of next week. Any fruit being picked is a tedious process because of the difficulty of bringing a ladder into a muddy orchard.

Once it rains, the fruit needs a few days to dry before they can begin picking again. If they are picked and packed before they are dry they will have a higher incidence of developing the post-harvest disease called clear rot. Although this rain will be very beneficial in the long term it is disrupting supply in the short term. The citrus varieties affected include navels, all mandarins, blood oranges, lemons, cara cara’s, minneola’s and grapefruits.”

Many of us joined a Co-op because we’re passionate about re-envisioning our food system. Lucky for us, not only do we have an amazing health-conscious/eco-conscious community at BriarPatch, but we also live in a town that has one of the best environmental film festivals in the WORLD.

Below we’ve highlighted five feature films playing at this year’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Each of these documentaries dive deep into some of the most important food issues of our time.

Click here for the film screening schedule. We hope you can make it out!

As the food movement grows across America, a young generation of mindful meat-eaters reject factory farms and turn to hunting for the ultimate protein. Animal lovers, Nick, Alex and Ashlie leave behind their modern lives and embark on a journey that is foreign to their parents – partly to eat dinner, and partly to carve out their identities. (USA, 2016, 70min)

Farm founder Mookie Moss and fellow farmers Dana and Zac work relentlessly, sunrise to sundown in order to sustain the fragile balance needed to support the land and animals they care deeply for. Mookie and his crew strive to continue their lifestyle of sustainability and self-reliance, but their passionate dedication is hindered by strict government laws. (USA, 2016, 75min)

South Los Angeles. What comes to mind is gangs, drugs, liquor stores, abandoned buildings and vacant lots. The last thing that you would expect to find is a beautiful garden sprouting up through the concrete, coloring the urban landscape. As part of an urban gardening movement taking root in South LA, people are planting to transform their neighborhoods and are changing their own lives in the process. Calling for people to put down their guns and pick up their shovels, these “gangster gardeners” are creating an oasis in the middle of one of the most notoriously dangerous places in America. Can You Dig This? follows the inspirational journeys of four unlikely gardeners, discovering what happens when they put their hands in the soil. This is not a story of science and economics. This is a story of the human spirit, inspiring people everywhere to pick up their shovels and plant. (USA, 2015, 85min)

Examining issues brought on by the rise of GMO companies operating in Hawaii, Island Earth follows the lives of a handful of Hawaiians seeking to use the wisdom of the past to make Hawaii a beacon of hope for an uncertain future. (USA, 2016, 61min)

Few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. Worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind, passionate seed keepers protect our 12,000 year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds. (USA, 2016, 94min)

We recently visited with Jim Gates of Nevada County Free Range Beef to give you an inside look at the sixth generation farmer’s prized herd of grass fed, grass finished, antibiotic and hormone free cattle.

Jim started selling to BriarPatch in 2004, after he was presented with an opportunity to cook for Paul Harton, the General Manager of BriarPatch at the time, who was a dyed in the wool vegan. “He didn’t eat any beef that night, but he had to listen to everyone screaming about how good it was!”

The rest, as they say, is history. It started with 10 lbs of hamburger that sold out in less than an hour. Fast forward to present day and we have – in Jim’s words – “a perfect symbiotic relationship” that features Jim’s locally coveted beef – steaks, roasts, hamburger – as the centerpiece of a sustainable, humanely raised fresh meat section at BriarPatch.

Our interview with Jim below:

BP: What’s your dog’s name? JG: “Milo. I couldn’t do this without him.”

BP: What’s does it mean to be grass fed and grass finished?JG: “It means they eat what God intended them to eat. Period. In winter time, we feed hay and alfalfa, grass that was harvested in the summer. The rest of the year they graze in these irrigated pastures. None of this bucket of grain stuff to fatten them up.”

BP: How is grass fed beef different from conventional beef? JG:”A whole lot different.To start, there’s a lot less fat and a different kind of fat. It’s chemically constituted differently than the corn fed stuff you buy in the store. It ain’t bad for your ticker here, see” (points to his heart)

BP: What’s your favorite way to prepare beef? JG: “I like a good roast as good as any, especially in the winter. Listen, I eat a lot of steak. It’s quick and it’s good food. I prefer, if I have time, to put it on the grill. It’s always better if it’s cooked over a flame, especially over wood.”

BP: How has BriarPatch helped your business? JG: “Before BriarPatch, I was raising cattle and hauling ’em to the auction to sell ’em. When BriarPatch started carrying my meat in 2004, it opened up a whole new market. We went from selling a few pounds of hamburger a week to over 60lbs a day.”

BP: Who do you sell your product to? JG: ” Summer Thyme, Diego’s, Peterson’s Corner. 100% is sold locally. The local people made me who I am. I won’t ship my product. Loyalty still counts for something in America”

BP: How do you keep up with the growing demand for local, grass fed beef? JG: “You just can’t let the grass grow under your feet…you’ve got to keep moving.”

Chances are you’ve seen Charles Schmidt before. After all, this exceptional volunteer is a huge reason why the front of BriarPatch Co-op always looks so great, no matter the time of year.

On sunny days he can be found cleaning off outdoor tables during the busy lunch hour. On windy days he can be seen picking trash out of the parking lot rosemary bushes. Long time Co-op owners can even recall Charles driving a tractor to plow snow at the Washington Street location!

Charles’ deeds go well beyond his dedication to cleanliness. He always goes the extra mile to recycle everything that can be recycled and is the first to help out anyone who needs a hand with their groceries and carts. Years ago he built the beautiful outdoor bench pictured above, which still remains today.

We are grateful for Charles’ dedication and hard work, but also for his positive presence at our Co-op. He’s truly an indispensable member of our community. Please join us in honoring Charles by thanking him the next time you see him.

Charles is being presented with the Volunteer of the Year award at the Volunteer Party on Sunday December 11th at 4pm.